Boheme Cartridge Compatibility

[msolok]

Hey Guys,

 

I am looking at grabbing a couple of Boheme's as I can get them for a decent price. What I am unsure on though is the cartridge compatibility. While I love the Montblanc colours, the cart prices here are stupid (8 carts for $18.... No thanks). So I am wondering is Small international Carts work in the Boheme's? I have a bunch of Kaweco and J Herbin small carts that would be great if I could use in my Boheme.

 

Also, I have heard that the nib mechanisim can get loose and the nibs starts retracting while writing. is this a large issue with the Boheme's? How about the mechinism freezing up?

[Tombstone]

Ad 1: regarding the cartridges to be used, especially the Boheme asks for the special Montblanc Cartridge - bad cards for a good player. But I have to say, that 18 $ is ridiculous - here they sell it for 3,- €. Maybe you had cartridges of special colors in your hands...no, forget this, I have here 6-packs of Seasons Greetings and Love Letter Ink - they come for 2,70 €...

 

Ad 2: regarding nib mechanism - never heard of, never had problems (several different Boheme, big & small...)

[Chrissy]

Ordinary international sized cartridges will fit into Mb cartridge pens.

 

I have never heard of the problem with Boheme nibs that you describe.

[ravantra]

International short cartridges work fine in my Boheme. I only bought a couple and reuse the cartridges by refilling with bottled ink.

[orfew]

when I buy the carts they are around 5.00.

 

As for the Boheme issue, I have never heard of this before.

[mhguda]

I have to echo the above posters. Never heard of the retraction issue. I've had my Boheme for over two years, and when I bought it the boutique had no cartridges, so they told me to use standard international small cartridges, which are easy to find here and cheap. Never had an issue. Then last year when they started carrying MB cartridges, they changed their tune and said to use MB cartridges. I did have a few, so tried one, but I cannot say I see much difference. And I like the internationals better - some of the MB were half-evaporated, and you cannot see that when you put them in, because they're opaque. If you need some internationals, I can send you some... Blue only at this point, though.

[Ron Z]

The Montblanc cartridges conform to the DIN standard. You can use international/universal cartridges in the pen. The ink itself may be an issue with really cheap i.e. no name cartridges, but a good ink should be fine.

[msolok]

Thanks guys. Being able to use International Short carts makes the Boheme a lot more attractive. As much as I love Montblanc inks, down here they are much to expensive. As I said before, a pack of 8 carts is $18, and bottles of ink cost between $30 and $35 each. It's far cheaper for me to buy the ink bottles fromt he US or Europe and pay shipping than to buy them here. It's insane!

 

mhguda: Thanks for the offer, much appreciated. I do however have a bunch of International Short carts. I have both Kaweco and J Herbin's as I use them in my Kaweco sport pens. These are much more available down here, and much cheaper, so they are a good alternative.

[mhguda]

Understood. And in a pinch, you could always refill them with a fancier ink.

I forgot to mention that I also used the short internationals (no-names mostly) in my Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart homage. For decades. No ill effect that I ever noticed.

[Tom Aquinas]

Were I you , I would not use a compatible cartridge until the pen is out of the warranty period. And yes, bricks and mortar stores down here charge like wounded bulls and they wail about customers using the cloud to purchase overseas.

[Ron Z]

re. mechanism issues. Early on Montblanc suggested flushing the pen by running water into the barrel. Bad idea. The water caused the mechanism to rust and lock up. It wasn't long before they changed the instructions. Today MB sells a cleaner for the pen in a 3 pack. Essentially a pipette with a cartridge nipple on the end filled with a cleaning solution that you flush through the pen, and then flush with water. It's a "use once" item, but you can use it again.

 

Keep the inside dry and you'll be fine. Though it doesn't see heavy use, I've had mine since '95, and used it without any issues.

[Penne Stilografiche]

Ad 1: regarding the cartridges to be used, especially the Boheme asks for the special Montblanc Cartridge - bad cards for a good player. But I have to say, that 18 $ is ridiculous - here they sell it for 3,- €. Maybe you had cartridges of special colors in your hands...no, forget this, I have here 6-packs of Seasons Greetings and Love Letter Ink - they come for 2,70 €...

 

Ad 2: regarding nib mechanism - never heard of, never had problems (several different Boheme, big & small...)

Lucky! I wish they were that cheap in America. I guess what makes the price higher here is the fact that the cartridges must be shipping over seas.

[ravantra]

re. mechanism issues. Early on Montblanc suggested flushing the pen by running water into the barrel. Bad idea. The water caused the mechanism to rust and lock up. It wasn't long before they changed the instructions. Today MB sells a cleaner for the pen in a 3 pack. Essentially a pipette with a cartridge nipple on the end filled with a cleaning solution that you flush through the pen, and then flush with water. It's a "use once" item, but you can use it again.

 

Keep the inside dry and you'll be fine. Though it doesn't see heavy use, I've had mine since '95, and used it without any issues.

The cleaning cartridges are free at any MB boutique. At least here in the US.